Quick and Easy Ideas For Backyard Landscaping: 10 Simple Shortcuts To Backyard Beauty

Love your backyard, but longing for quick inspiration? Most of these easy ideas for backyard landscaping can be adapted to fit any circumstance, making them suitable for both novice and experienced growers. You may be thinking that creating a beautiful outdoor space takes time, effort and hard work. But it doesn’t have to, as these suggestions demonstrate.

Though many great gardens are the direct result of careful planning and planting, there are plenty of simple things you can do to boost the allure of your go-to spaces. Here are some of my favorite tips for adding fun, color and a bit of whimsy into the home garden. Just follow these 10 steps for quick and easy backyard bliss.

1. Add Pretty Edible Florals and Climbers

When it comes to easy backyard landscaping ideas, no space would be complete without the addition of edible plants and flowers. Plants of this type can be used in a variety of ways, in the kitchen and in craft projects. You can expect most of these colorful species to bloom in profusion, attracting pollinators and serving as an interesting conversation-starter, when planted in containers or near patios.

Popular edible flowers include roses, pansies, nasturtiums and chives. ‘The flowers of many herbs are also edible, such as bee balm, anise hyssop and borage,’ says professional landscaper Bonnie Grant.

Bonnie Grant

Bonnie is a professional landscaper with a certification in urban gardening. She has been gardening and writing for 15 years. A former professional chef, she has a passion for edible landscaping.

2. Start a Pollinator Patch for Color and Wildlife

Starting a small pollinator garden is the perfect way to help local insect populations. Growers in search of easy backyard landscaping plants should opt for those that are both hardy and resistant to disease. Carefree flowers, such as native species, prove to be most adapted. Plants of this type will require only little care from growers, with perennials returning to the garden season after season.

3. Maximize Sunny Spots With Hanging Baskets

Among the most popular easy backyard ideas is the use of hanging baskets. Highly versatile, elevated containers can be crafted to meet the needs of any space. This includes full sun hanging baskets or those that are shaded throughout the majority of the day. Though most baskets need only minimal care, routine watering is essential. Some of the best plants for hanging baskets include calibrachoa, geraniums, lantana and petunias.

4. Grow Easy-Care Perennials for Quick Color Bursts

If you’re looking to create easy backyard beauty, you should definitely make some room for perennials. Perennials will return year after year, making them ideal for establishing dependable, low-maintenance flower beds. Though some are grown purely for their attractive foliage, many hard-to-kill perennials offer impressive floral displays, making them very easy ways to add beauty to a backyard. Popular perennial flowers include aster, baptisia, echinacea and liatris.

5. Try Plants With Striking or Unusual Foliage

Though many envisage a growing space bursting with bloom, using attractive foliage can also contribute greatly to the overall appeal of garden beds. Plants with unique colors, interesting patterns and distinguishing textures are easy ideas for backyard landscaping. Their use within the landscape meets the needs of growers in a variety of ways, including as a ground cover or even as a focal plant. Unusual species that are suited to the home garden include canna, coleus, elephant’s ear and heuchera.

6. Add Climbing Vines For Color and Fragrance

If you’re looking for easy ways to add beauty to your backyard, consider planting fragrant flowering vines. Ornamental vines can impart lasting seasonal interest to porches, patios and even containers. Climbing plants are appealing because they draw the eye upward, creating a sense of dimension and attracting pollinators. Popular flowering vines include hyacinth beans, sweet peas, morning glories, jasmine and wisteria. Don’t forget secure support using plant netting or trellises.

7. Grow Easy Ornamental Grasses for Pollinators

Ornamental grasses are favored by landscapers for their ease of growth and airy appearance. Native species add further value to backyards, serving as a vital source of food and shelter to local wildlife. ‘Native grasses will survive the winter and require little maintenance,’ says gardening expert Mary Ellen Ellis.

If you’re considering adding ornamental grasses to beds, you’re never without options, as hundreds of named cultivars are available. These plants range in size, texture and color. Common ornamental grasses for easy landscaping include tufted hairgrass, Mexican feather grass and switchgrass.

Mary Ellen Ellis

A former high school teacher, Mary has been gardening for over 20 years. With degrees in Chemistry and Biology, Mary Ellen's specialties are flowers, native plants and herbs.

8. Add Colorful Leafy Crops to Edible Beds

Just as colorful foliage adds dimension to ornamental spaces, so can edible plants. Bright veggies in containers and beds are pleasing and enhance the overall look of the garden. Colorful edibles such as purple leafy greens are also highly regarded for their antioxidant content, believed to be among the most nutrient-dense garden plants. Add color to your garden with purple varieties of lettuce and cabbage or various types of amaranth and kale.

9. Get Creative With Garden Wall Plants

Incorporating easy DIY backyard ideas is a great way to add interest to the garden while maintaining your budget. Garden plant walls are especially attractive and allow you to maximize your space. This is helpful for people with small backyards or those who live in apartments. Though plant walls can be constructed in a variety of ways, most make use of upcycled materials. The best plants for this unique type of vertical growing are herbs, ferns and several annual species that are used as bedding.

10. Make Things Bright with White Flowering Shrubs

Flowering shrubs are an ideal addition to low-maintenance landscapes. They return seasonally and bloom well with little care from growers. White-flowering shrubs are particularly easy ideas for backyard landscaping, adding classic beauty to beds and borders. Pristine blooms attract pollinators and complement a wide range of other annual and perennial species. Popular white flowering shrubs include buttonbush, mock orange, hydrangea, and viburnum.

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